The Tale Untold
by DeanW1979
Summary: Soon after Lily's friendship with Snape collapses, she is finding herself continually thinking about a certain dark haired boy with hazel eyes. This is set in Lily Evans' fifth year at Hogwarts, and the friendships/relationships created and broken. Rated T just in case.
1. Chapter 1, A Lost Cause

**Please review, but only helpful feedback, because I don't want spam.**

**Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I am doing homework instead of buying a cruise ship, so I do not own Harry Potter, and sadly, never will.**

'_I'm sorry.'  
'I'm not interested.'  
'I'm sorry!'  
'Save your breath.'  
It was night time. Lily, who was wearing a dressing gown, stood with her arms folded in front of the portrait of the Fat Lady, at the entrance to Gryffindor Tower.  
'I only came out because Mary told me you were threatening to sleep here.'  
'I was. I would have done. I never meant to call you Mudblood, it just -'_

_Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows_

'I was. I would have done. I never meant to call you Mudblood, it just -'

'Slipped out?' Lily knew there was no pity in her voice. 'It's too late. I've made excuses for you for years. None of my friends can understand why I even talk to you. You and your precious Death Eater friends -' Snape chewed his lip. '- you see, you don't even deny it! You don't even deny that's what you're all aiming to be! You can't wait to join You-Know-Who, can you?'

He opened his mouth, a painful expression on his face, but closed it without speaking. Lily knew she was cracking inside, but she would never show it. She was torn between her better judgement, and her hopes of clinging to a severed friendship. Still, seeing Severus like this felt like a knife to the gut.

'I can't pretend anymore. You've chosen your way, I've chosen mine.'  
'No – listen, I didn't mean –'  
'- to call me Mudblood?' Lily couldn't believe his nerve. 'But you call everyone of my birth Mudblood, Severus. Why should I be any different?'

He struggled on the verge of speech, but with what she hoped was a contemptuous look, Lily turned and climbed back through the portrait hole.  
The tear came in an unstoppable flow, free falling down her face, as the dreaded word rang in her head. _Mudblood.  
_Lily inhaled sharply as she blindly hit a person coming the opposite way.  
'Evans.'  
James Potter's bright hazel eyes showed only slightly softened arrogance.  
'Potter,' Lily said in a low voice, pushing her way past the ignorant excuse for a human being.  
He caught her arm. 'Lily wait –'  
'Let go of me!' she spat fiercely.

Boys just don't get it. Couldn't he see that this was all his fault? She clung to this thought, ignoring the tiny part of her knew this was unfair. She wouldn't blame Severus. Otherwise her grief of losing such a close friend might just overwhelm her.

'You just don't get it do you?' Lily said, her tone of voice the one that was specially reserved for prats like him. 'This never would've happened if it wasn't for you!'

His brow furrowed in confusion, and Lily took the opportunity to wriggle her wrist out of his grasp, heading up the staircase to the girls dormitories, where she knew he couldn't follow.

She was greeted by Alice Prewett, Mary McDonald, Elizabeth Spendlove (but if you called her anything other than Lizzie or Liz, you were to expect the world's best Bat-Bogey Hex), and Holly Boyce. Her four best friends in the world. Alice was the kindest, and most gentle of the four, always keeping the peace. Mary was... just hungry. She had a bit of an obsession with food. Lizzie was the queen of humor, and somehow always seemed to lighten the mood. Holly was a sassy chick, and extremely pretty, with jet black hair and striking blue eyes. She was the eye of all the boys, but had eyes for only particular boy. Only four now. Lily refused to think about the previous fifth. The girls were in a clear argument when Lily walked in, but they stopped talking immediately when they saw Lily's tear streaked face.

'Lils,' Alice breathed, her eyes wide and sympathetic.  
'Oh, what happened?' Mary said in equal tones.

'He called... he...' Lily crumpled onto her bed.

All four girls rushed to their miserable friend. Alice cradled Lily's shaking body in her arms, whispering soothingly into her hair.

'Lils-' Lizzie began.  
'Liz, you have a milk mustache,' Holly hissed out of the corner of her mouth, her vibrant blue eyes bright and watchful.

Lily let out a dry laugh as Lizzie furiously wiped her mouth. These things made Lily glad her friends were here with her now. She didn't know what she'd do without them.

'Lily, spill,' Holly said, in a way only Holly could achieve.

Lily gave a small hiccup and started to tell the girls what had happened.  
When she finished, her friends let out a stream of insults to both Snape and Potter. Well, actually, Holly just talked about how she was going to hook up with Sirius while braiding her shiny black hair. Lizzie watched mournfully, clearly thinking about her supposedly clique (to use Liz's words) brown hair.

'Well,' Alice said finally. 'I'm not going to say that you shouldn't wallow in self pity, in fact, that's what any sane person would do-' Lily felt internally gratefully that Alice was here with her now. '-, but if we are to be wading in despair, we should at least do it my way ...'

* * *

James didn't understand. Why was Lily mad at _him? _It had been Snivellus who had called Lily that unforgivable word, not him. Maybe Lily had a point though. If James hadn't taunted Snape like that, maybe Snape would've never got to the point of calling Lily Mudblood. James rested his head in his hands. He could never do anything right anymore, and now Lily hated him more than ever.  
'James?'  
It was Remus. He walked in and sat down in the armchair opposite James, the common room firelight illuminating the planes of his face.  
'What is it now, Moony?' James' voice came out harsher than he meant.  
Remus flinched.  
'I'm sorry... I didn't mean it like that,' James said in a low voice.  
Remus sighed. 'I know you didn't. I just wanted to give you this,' he held out a piece of toast like a peace offering. 'You haven't eaten anything.  
James mumbled something about not being hungry, but took the toast anyway.

After a few halfhearted nibbles that did nothing for James' appetite, he looked up despairingly. 'Do you think it was my fault Snivellus called Lily Mudblood?'  
Remus looked as if pondering the question, but then finally said, 'No, I don't, and I don't think Lily does either.'  
James opened his mouth but Remus cut him off. 'No, James. She doesn't. Don't blame her for becoming a bit hot headed. She just lost a great friend.'

'Watch it Moony,' said Sirus, walking in through the portrait hole. 'I don't think Snivellus is a great anything.'  
Remus kept his silence, and James' face broke into a weak grin. 'Where've you been?'  
'Oh, no where,' he said, with an air of innocence that fooled no one. At the look Remus gave him he said, 'Oh fine. I may have met a very beautiful girl along a deserted third floor corridor. '

James grinned and called Sirius something that made Remus stamp on his foot. James' eyes watered. Sometimes Remus could be as violent as his wolf self. Not really.

'Watch it, Prongs. Old Prefect Lupin might just have to put you in detention,' said Sirius in a parental tone.

Remus sighed and James laughed.

A mouse-like boy came down the stairs from the boys dormitories looking anxious.

'James? I can't find my left bed sock,' he said, looking hopefully up at his idol.  
'Wormy-' James began in an exasperated tone.  
'He'd love to help!' said Sirius, while James glared at him.  
'In fact, we'd all like to come, Peter,' said Remus, and soon all the boys were traipsing up the stairs, James and Sirius dragging their feet.


	2. Chapter 2, Blood, Sweat and Tears

**A/ N: ** Thanks for reading; I tried to get this chapter out as fast as I could. Please review, because it really helps.

**Disclaimer: **No, I am not on a holiday in Hawaii, so I do not own Harry Potter. JK Rowling on the other hand, does.

* * *

'Where did you put my hair tongs!'  
'You _have_ hair tongs?!'  
'Yeah! Now tell me where they are!'

It was the usual morning routine in Lily's cabin. Everyone was shouting and yelling in a desperate rush to make it to breakfast.

'Mary! You've been in the shower for half an hour!' Lily called, tapping her foot impatiently.  
'I'm entitled to take as long as I like,' Mary's muffled voice called back defiantly.  
'Make way, midgets!' announced Holly, striding past Lily and with one flick of her wand, she unlocked the shower door.

Mary squealed and ducked under her towel. Lily laughed inwardly. Holly could solve any situation, just maybe not in the most civilized fashion.

'You pervert, Holly!' squeaked Mary.  
Holly ignored her and looked into the shower. 'Mary, did you even turn the water on?'  
Mary looked down at her feet. 'Yes.'

It was Lily's turn to walk in.

'Lair!' she announced, holding up a copy of Witch Weekly.  
'Where's Alice?' asked Mary.  
'Don't change the subject, Mar,' called Lizzie from her bed.  
'No, really, where is she?' said Mary, looking around the dorm.

She was right. In all the fuss, Alice had finished getting changed and had gone down for breakfast. Lily sighed, and headed down the staircase herself.

In the Great Hall, the food was as good as ever. The Gryffindor table was relatively empty, except for Alice and a couple of third years.

'Hey, Alice,' Lily yawned, sitting down on the seat next to her.

The others girls filed around her, so that there were two girls on either side of Lily. She glanced over to the Slytherin table, but saw that Severus' seat was empty. Despite everything, her stomach twinged with disappointment. Alice spotted Lily staring, and gently held her by the shoulders, turning her back around.

'He's not worth it,' Alice said softly, so that the others wouldn't hear.

Lily sighed. She knew he wasn't, but he had been the first friend she had made in the wizarding world, and she couldn't let go that easily.

'Helloooooo, ladies!' said a booming voice from the far end of the hall.

Lily grimaced. It was the marauders grand entrance. Half the girl population giggled, and Holly idly twirled her hair with her fork. Sirius grinned, clearly pleased with the effect he had made. Lily turned her head away, so that her hair shielded her face.  
The boys made their way to the table and plopped down next to Lily and her friends. James gave a feeble attempt at a good-natured grin. The four girls glared daggers at him and shuffled protectively around Lily.

'Bloody idiot,' muttered Lizzie.

Lily reached for the marmalade, but ended up clashing against James' fingers instead.

He spread his arms wide. 'Ladies first.'

Lily glared at him and took the honey instead. She was surprised that stupid broom could hold James up with that fat head of his.

'Lily, you're mutilating your toast,' said Holly serenely.

'Hey, Holly, Sirius is waiting for you!' said Lily, pointing to the doorway.

Holly turned around, but then looked back disappointedly. Lily laughed unkindly.

Holly looked hurt. 'What's up, Lily? Why're you being like this?'

Lily put on a grin. 'Nothing. Everything's bloody brilliant!' And with that, she strode out of the hall.

Lily pushed past the crowds and began along a deserted corridor. She blindly walked through the castle, taking every secret passage way she knew, determined not to be caught up with. Her head was filled with rage. She hated James. She _hated _him. She hadn't meant to hurt Holly, he just made her so _angry. _Suddenly Lily let out a small gasp as she missed a step at the top of the staircase behind the tapestry of Greg the Gorgy, and went tumbling down the set of stairs.

'Ouch,' she murmured distractedly.

Lily lifted her fingers to her scalp and they came away sticky with blood. She lay there, sprawled at the bottom of the stairs. She couldn't seem to move. Not matter how much she tried, her legs wouldn't lift her. _No one will find me, _Lily thought numbly. _ No one but me knows this passage way except me. Well, maybe the marauders do. _Hot tears flowed down Lily's face. It wasn't from pain. Well, it was, but not from the physical pain of falling down the stairs.

* * *

James watched as Lily strode out of the hall, not being able to mask the longing on his face.

'Slick,' said Sirius, laughing.

'Sod off,' muttered James.

'Yeah, Sirius. Don't be mean to James,' piped up Peter.

Both boys looked at Peter.

'Just no,' they said in unison.

Remus sighed, and James made a mental note to find Lily after breakfast.

'Hey Jamsie!' said Peter a moment later. 'Read this?'

James looked at the mangled Daily Prophet the Peter was holding up.

'You read all this?' said James incredulously.

Peter didn't seem fazed. 'No!' he said. 'But I read the big letters!'

Remus leaned over James shoulder. A frown line appeared on his forehead and he removed the paper from James' hands.

' "_Jason Longbottom declared missing"_,' Moony read aloud. 'That's Frank's dad!'

'I'd wondered where Frank had gone,' said Sirius, looking concerned, and that's a first since Sirius is… well, Sirius.

Frank shared the dormitory with the four boys, and though he had not wanted to be part of their group, James still considered him a friend. Then James smiled to himself, thinking of the time Frank had muttered Lily's friend Alice's name in his sleep. _ Lily._

'I've got to... er… the bathroom,' said James, feeling Remus' suspicious gaze.

Not waiting for questions, James walked briskly out of the Great Hall, and began his search. _Where would she go? _James thought to himself. His first thought would be the girls dormitory, a place to boy would be able to follow her, but he decided to check the corridors along the way too. _Lily, Lily, Lily. _He could never stop thinking about her.

James finally reached the portrait of the Fat Lady, and muttered the password _Vajda Tuna _only to meet Alice on her way out.

'She's not in there, I checked,' said Alice.

James might have been inclined to believe she was misleading him, but in seeing her deadly serious, mingled with worried expression, he knew she was telling the truth.  
This called for a search of the castle.  
Alice and James spilt up. James had expected Lily to try and hide from him, but from Alice? He shook his head. No matter how hard he tried he couldn't get Lily expression as she left the hall out of his face. It was pure loathing.

After about an hour of searching, James and Alice found each other along the seventh floor corridor.

'I couldn't find her,' James and Alice began at the same time.

Alice looked down. 'I don't know, but I have this feeling in my stomach, and it's just…' She trailed off.

James chewed his lip. The only place he hadn't checked was the secret staircase behind the tapestry of Greg the Gorgy, but surely Lily didn't know about that. Then his lip curved into a smile. There had been many a time when he thought Lily would make a great marauder.

'I'll be back in a sec,' he told Alice, and without waiting for a reply, he headed off to the fifth floor.

Eventually he reached it. At first James couldn't see her anywhere, but then he let out a small whimper as he Lily's limp body at the bottom of the stair case. He ran down, and almost stumbled in his haste to get to the slight figure at the bottom.  
Lily's forehead was oozing blood, but she was breathing, and her heart was beating at a steady pace. James sighed with relief.

'_Episkey_,' he murmured, repeating the spell three times for a better effect.

The blood flow slowed to a dull trickle. Then Lily's breathing turned to dry choking sounds. James heart stopped.

'Alice!' he cried out, the way he had forbade himself to do so when he was a child. Gryffindor's didn't cry out in fear. But this time he couldn't help himself.

Alice pushed past the tapestry. 'How did you know that I'd follow y– oh my…'

Alice rushed to her friends crumpled figure, and although James found himself wanting to cling onto Lily's limp form, he let Alice take her out of his arms.  
Then Alice began to cry. Slowly, but surely she wept.

'She might have been do- down her for- forever,' Alice said, hiccupping slightly. Then as an afterthought, Alice raised her wand and murmured, 'Anapneo.'

Lily's breathing steadied, and lost its rasping sound.

'Let's get her to the hospital wing.'


	3. Chapter 3, Just Friends

**EA / N: **Thanks to the people who reviewed, it really motivates me. I'm trying not to make the chapters too short, so that you guys get enough to read. Sorry for not posting in a while, I was really busy.

**Disclaimer: **I wish I owned Harry Potter, but sadly, I do not. Anything you recognise is JK Rowling's, anything you don't is mine.

* * *

Lily saw a glint of light through the blackness. The sun – no – a chocolate wrapper. Lily tried to lift her arm to grab it, but her limbs felt too heavy.

'Lily.'

Her head throbbed.

'_Lily.'_

Lily finally opened her eyes to see a startlingly white ceiling. It took her a moment to realise that she was in the hospital wing. The crisp clean sheets she was in were silky and sleep enticing, and the mattress was the softest thing she had ever felt.

'Lily.'

No other than Remus Lupin was sitting in front of her, waving an unwrapped chocolate frog in front of her face. Lily's mouth broke into a weak smile. Just because she didn't like the other marauders, doesn't mean that she had to hate _all _of them. Remus was one of her closest friends, and he seemed to know exactly what to bribe her with to wake up.

Remus grinned. 'I knew that would do the trick.'

Lily laughed. 'Hey you,'

She snatched the chocolate from his hand and began to unwrap it.

'Quite a fall you had there,' he said cheerfully.

'Yeah,' said Lily, feeling the bandages around her head.

'Luckily, Madam Pomfrey was able to patch you up alright,' Remus continued.

Lily nodded, biting off the chocolate frogs head. Then she frowned. Who had found her?

'Remy,' she began, 'do you know who brought me up here?'

Remus' face softened, but before he could answer her, Madam Pomfrey came bustling up, a steaming bottle in her hand.

'Ah! You're awake. Lupin, you've been here quite long enough,' she said tartly. 'Off you go! Go on!'

She followed Remus out the door. He shot Lily one fleeting smile, and then the doors shut on his face. Madam Pomfrey's face was tight, and she looked considerably thinner. Lily bit her lip. Normally the nurse was full of energy, but now she look tired and sullen. Madam Pomfrey's a-bit-less-than-plump figure disappeared behind a closed curtain, shielding on of the beds from view. Lily's curiosity was almost overwhelming, but she was too tired to go and investigate. Instead, her mind wandered to the unanswered question of who had found her.

Madam Pomfrey insisted that Lily stayed overnight, much to her protest. Lily had to take a blood replenishing potion every night, to make up for the massive blood loss she had suffered.

Lily had been visited by Alice, Holly, Mary, Lizzie and a few of her other fellow Gryffindors, and by Remus a second time. It had been a pretty teary reunion on the girls' part. After Lily had apologized again and again to Holly, Holly finally told her to shut up and eat some chocolate.

Alice, Holly, Mary and Lizzie only left her bed at night, coming straight after classes, and leaving right on curfew.

Lily had gotten a lot of sweets too. A box of chocolate frogs from Remus (her favourite), multiple boxes of Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans (everything from grass to earwax) from the girls, and a get well card from Amos Diggory. Lily sighed. She knew he fancied her, she just didn't know what she felt yet. Then Lily grinned. She was glad she wasn't still on that stupid diet she had tried last summer. Lily hadn't needed it though. She had a pretty high metabolism.

When Lily was released the next day, nothing had changed with the morning routine in the girls' cabin. After breakfast they only _just _made it on time for potions.

'Ah, Evans! Right on time!' boomed Professor Slughorn.

Lily gave a quick smile before her and her friends filed into a table at the very front.  
After the whole class had arrived and settle down into their respective tables, Slughorn called for them ti gather around his desk.  
On the surface of the desk was a steaming potion with a distinctive mother-of-pearl sheen. Lily recognised it instantly.

'Now, would anyone be able to tell me what this curious little potion is?' Slughorn asked, looking around at the students eagerly.

Lily's hand shot up into the air. At the back Sirius sniggered, and James elbowed him between the ribs.

'Yes, Miss Evans?' said Slughorn, looking slightly amused.

'It's Amortentia!' Lily answered a little breathlessly. 'The most powerful love potion in the world!'

Slughorn beamed. 'Certainly! Amortentia can't really create _love_, of course. That is simply impossible. No, this will just cause a powerful infatuation or obsession. For that reason, I would say that it is probably the most dangerous and powerful potion in this castle –' Sirius snorted disbelievingly, and Slughorn nodded wisely. '- yes, Black. After you have been around as long as I have, you will not underestimate the power of obsessive love. However, it can be recognised by…?' Slughorn finished, looking around at the class.

'It's mother-of-pearl sheen and the steam rising in characteristic spirals,' Lily finished, giving her friends a sideways glance.

Mary giggled. The girls had attempted brewing the potion in third year as a dare, only then the potion had been a sickly green and the victim had ended up vomiting for the next three days.

'Quite right! Now it's supposed to smell differently to each of us, according to what attracts us most,' said Professor Slughorn. 'Go on, breath in. Think about what it smells like to you.'

Lily breathed in. She could smell fresh parchment, the leather cover of a book, chocolate, and a strange woody smell that Lily couldn't place.

Once everyone had finished smelling the potion, Slughorn clapped his hands together and set them the task of brewing the tricky little potion, 'It's a challenge, but I'm am certain you are all up to it.'

Lily began to set up her potion stand, lighting the fire underneath with her wand, when something hit her in the back of the head. She turned around to see Sirius innocently bending over a ripped sheet of parchment. Lily rolled her eyes and picking up the scrap of paper that had landed under her seat, and promptly threw it into the burning flames. She heard James groan behind her.

'That's how you do it, honey,' said Holly, smirking.

Lily smiled and began to chop up her gurdy roots.

After half an hour of tireless potion making, Lily was uncertain for the first time in potions. Potions had always been her best subject, but this potion was being unreasonably tricky. At least her potion wasn't bright orange and bubbling like Peter Pettigrew's. Next to him, James was wiping his forehead while his potion was stubbornly purple, the colour of the half-way stage. Lily sighed and flicked the page of her copy of Advanced Potion Making. She just couldn't believe she was being asked to brew Amortentia in only her fifth year at Hogwarts. She bent over her page to see what Hector Dagworth-Granger had to say on the matter.

'_Powerful infatuations can be induced by the skillful potioneer, but never yet has anyone managed to create the truly unbreakable, eternal, unconditional attachment that alone can be called Love.'_

Lily bit her lip, annoyed. Slughorn had said roughly the same thing.

'Thanks for nothing,' she muttered, closing the book.

Strangely, the fact that no one had any tips to help her, only spurred Lily on even more. She was now determined more than ever to get it right. Eventually she resorted to adding a few of her own ingredients, but, to her delight, they produced positive effects.

At the end of the class, Slughorn came around to check everybody's potions. No one had finished, and Slughorn came away from Avery's cauldron heaving with coughs. When Slughorn approached Lily's cauldron however, his face broke into a beaming smile.

'Ah, Miss Evans, you've done it again!' said Slughorn, rubbing a hand through his sparing blonde hair. 'It's is absolutely perfect. I see you've added an extra unicorn tail hair, but it has served you well. Fifty points to Gryffindor!'

The class cheered. These extra points put them ahead of Slytherin for the house cup.

'Thank you, Professor,' said Lily, beaming.

'Well deserved, Evans, well deserved. However, I will have to take this,' said Slughorn, and with a wave of his wand, Lily's cauldron was empty. 'I'm sure you understand. This potion is highly dangerous.'

'Yes, Professor.'

Lily didn't mind, she was just happy that she had succeeded in brewing such a difficult potions.

As Lily left the dungeons, her friends babbling about love potions, she heard James call her name.

Lizzie turned around, about to defend Lily, but Lily made a shushing gesture.

'It's alright Liz, you guys go ahead,'

Alice opened her mouth, but stopped herself. 'Okay. See you in the common room, sweetie.'

Lily nodded. Lily chewed her lip. She had secretly been wanting to talk to James ever since she had woken up in the hospital wing. She knew now that it had been absurd to blame James for what had happened with Snape, and maybe, just maybe, James' headed might've deflated a little bit. And if it hadn't, maybe Lily would be the one to cause it to.

Even so, she wasn't sure how to start, yet it was James who spoke first.

'Imsoryboutmakinsnivelcallyouamudblood,' he said, the words coming rushing out of his mouth.

Lily blinked for a moment, and then asked, 'Er, what was that?'

James took a deep breath, running a nervous hand through his messy black hair. 'I'm – I'm sorry about making Snape call you Mudblood. I shouldn't have taunted him like that. You were right. It was my fault.'

His hazel eyes looked so hopeless that Lily heart twinged in sympathy.

'No, James. It wasn't you're fault,' Lily began, her voice shaking slightly, and James looked up. 'It was no one's fault but Snape's. It was wrong for me to blame you. I'm sorry.'

James was still staring at her, and Lily suddenly felt very self-conscious. 'What? Have I got something on my fac-'

'You called me James. Not Potter,' James interrupted, looking at Lily thoughtfully.

Lily smiled sheepishly. 'Well, I think it's time to put aside our differences.'

James looked at her apprehensively.

God, Lily hoped she wouldn't regret this.

'James, I think it would be great if you would be my friend.'

* * *

**A / N: **Too fast? Tell me what you think. I wanted James and Lily to become friends first, so the wait might be agonising for James, but hopefully not for you guys.


	4. Chapter 4, The Dark Mark

**A / N: **Hello! Hope you like this chapter!

**Disclaimer: **You might have guessed by now, I don't own Harry Potter. JK Rowling does.

* * *

'I knew it!'

'Might want to shout a bit louder, Padfoot. I think there were some people in the dungeons that didn't hear you,' grumbled James.

The Marauders were lounging in the common room armchairs, while James told them what Lily had asked. Luckily, Lily and her friends had gone up to their dormitory an hour ago for bed.

Sirius shrugged. 'When my Prongsies walked in looking happy, I guessed it was about Lily.'

James glared at him.

'You _are_ a bit of an obvious crusher,' Remus pointed out.

'Well, you'll be happy, Sirius,' James said, ignoring Remus. 'Now you have an excuse to be near Holly.'

Sirius looked shocked. 'What? Me – her – no – well, maybe – but!'

James sniggered.

Remus put his hand on Sirius' shoulder. 'Being a guy who shags every girl he can put his hands on, ultimately, he would fall for the girl just like him.'

'Yeah!' said Peter, speaking for the first time.

'Shut up, Wormy,' snarled Sirius, being a bit sensitive in James' opinion.

Peter cringed back into his armchair.

'Sirius!' scolded Remus.

'Bugger off,' muttered Sirius.

'Well, look at this,' said James, highly amused. 'Mighty Padfoot is getting moody over the one girl he can't have.'

'Look at yourself!' said Sirius incredulously.

James grunted.

'Bed?' offered Remus quietly.

The boys nodded.

* * *

'LILY!'

'Lizzie calm down!' said Lily, covering the brunette girl's mouth with her hand. 'Yes, I said friends. _Just _friends. Now will you – DID YOU JUST LICK ME?! –' Lily pulled her hand away from Lizzie's mouth, disgusted.

Lily's friends had dragged her up to their dormitory, only to bombard her with questions about James. Lily was finding it quite exhausting, actually. She wanted to be _friends_, that's all. Friends are better than enemies any day. She didn't know what made her change her mind, but she felt better, so she was going to stick with it.

'Oh honey, this is great news,' assured Alice.

'_You _just like it because the marauders share a dormitory with Frank Longbottom,' said Holly pointedly.

Alice shrugged, smiling.

After a moment of silence, Lily announced, 'I'm actually going to bed now.'

The girls nodded, but only a minute after tucking in, there was a shrill scream.

Alice shot bolt upright. 'What was _that_?'

'I don't know,' murmured Holly, looking worried.

The five girls hurried down the stair case and in the already packed common room. Everyone was crowding around the window facing Hogsmead. Lily stood up on her tiptoes, but she still couldn't see. She silently cursed her shortness.

'Excuse me! Prefect coming through!' she called, pushing her way through the crowd.

She reached the window and looked up. 'Oh my,'

High in the sky a glittering green skull looked down on them, a serpent protruding from its jaws. Frightened whispering shot through the crowd. Lily caught words like _Dark Mark _and _Voldemort _and _Who was it? _A chill shivered down her spine. The evil wizard who called himself Lord Voldemort had always seemed more like a rumour to Lily. A rumour until now. Alice, Holly, Mary and Lizzie reached her and their jaws dropped.

'Nice PJ's, Evan,' said Sirius from behind her.

'Shoosh,' she said quietly, and peered further out the window, meanwhile James stamped on Sirius' foot.

'That looks like it's over the Hogshead, in Hogsmead,'Mary murmured distractedly.

A first year whimpered. Lily saw James put his arm around the first year, murmuring comforting words. Lily smiled to herself. The first year stayed silent. Everyone did. No one spoke. No one moved. No one wanted to think of what had happened in the village.

In the silence, Lily heard the portrait door open.

'Professor McGonagall,' Lily breathed in relief.

'I'm sorry, but you lot will be spending the night in the great hall,' said Professor McGonagall, sternly, but kindly.

There was a murmured 'Yes Professor.'

The Gryffindors filed down Gryffindor tower, and into the Great Hall. The house tables were gone, and in their stead, were hundreds of squashy purple sleeping bags. Lily, her friends, and the Marauders dragged their sleepily bags into the corner.  
Lily climbed in to her sleeping bag and propped herself up with her elbows. The staff were patrolling around the hall, and in the corner Professor Dumbledore was in a deep conversation with Professor McGonagall.

Lily turned back to where the girls were having a whispered conversation. She made a shushing gesture and pointed to where Dumbledore was talking. The girls fell quiet and they listened in.

'Rosmerta?' said McGonagall.

'She's okay,' said Dumbledore.

'Aberforth?'

'Fine.'

For a moment there was silence.

'So Lord... something…. is real then?' McGonagall had lowered her voice to a sharp whisper.

Dumbledore nodded gravely. 'Yes. I'm afraid Lord Voldemort is.'

'And is it true…?'

'That he targets Muggleborns? Yes. I'm afraid so.'

Lily bit her lip, and then, when it was becoming overwhelming, she shoved her head into her arms. Through the muffle fabric of her pyjamas, Lily heard the sound of Dumbledore and McGonagall's retreating footsteps.

* * *

James could see Lily shaking. They had all heard what Dumbledore had said, and James had an idea what Lily was thinking. James reached out to put his arm around her, but hesitated. Was it too soon? She had outright hated him a day ago. Then James gave in to his whole body which was screaming at him to do it, and slowly lowered his arm around her shoulders. He felt Lily's whole body freeze underneath his arm, but she made no attempt to remove it.

The girls exchanged excited grins behind James' back, but James didn't notice it. He rested his head on his arm. His Dad, Charlus Potter, was an Auror, and he had warned James about the threat of Lord Voldemort, but James had just thought it was just a violent rumour, and that he wasn't _really _real. Behind him he heard Sirius start to snore (though whenever James would bring it up, Sirius would deny it passionately). He felt Lily's body soften, and eventually the newly truced groups all gave way to the well needed sleep.

* * *

**A / N: **Hope you like it! It's not really like the other chapters, but there wouldn't be a story without Voldemort, so here it is. S'il vous plaît (that mean _please _in french) review!


	5. Chapter 5, On The Hogwarts Express

**A / N: **Thanks to those who reviewed; it really helps. Sorry for not posting in a bit, I hate to keep you waiting, but I was really busy, and I was also suffering writers block. :( Anyway, here's for another chapter.

**Disclaimer: **If only it was me who owned Harry Potter, and not JK Rowling. Then my life would be so much easier.

* * *

'Miss Evans?'

'Wha- Pardon me, Professor, what was that?'

Lily's whole body ached from sleeping on the great hall floor, but even being in the even more uncomfortable Charms room chairs, she had still managed to doze off.

Tiny little Professor Flitwick wasn't annoyed though. He seemed to be in full sympathy with the students.

'I asked, from what language does the incantation for the silencing charm, Silencio, comes from,' he said kindly.

Lily blinked sleep from her eyes. 'It means silence in Latin, Professor.'

Professor Flitwick beamed. 'Yes, Miss Evans. Correct.'

Lily guessed he was so gleeful more because she had been the first student to answer a question comprehensively, more than the fact that she got the answer right. Behind her, Sirius gave a low snore. Beside her, Alice was resting her head on her arms, her eyelids fluttering. Only Holly seemed to be awake; she was staring off into the distance, plaiting her long raven hair.

After a few more feeble attempts at holding the class together, Professor Flitwick dismissed them early. Lily walked like a zombie through the school until she reached her bed, where she flopped on to it with a groan. She had never felt so tired in her life. Lizzie walked in and sat down on her bed, and then collapsed with her face in her pillow.  
Lily rolled onto her back. At least Dumbledore had said that the students were allowed to skip last period. Normally, Lily would despise missing a class, but today, she really didn't have the energy. So, this meant that if she didn't go down and get lunch, Lily could sleep through the rest of the day, no rules broken. If only.

Instead of the leisure time she wanted (and needed), Lily was forced to go back down into the common room and do some homework. Even with the school year finishing in a week, and their OWLs over, the teachers were still giving them mountains of work. Even Professor Flitwick had set them homework after Charms. They had to read four chapters of _Charms for the Charming _and then write an essay on what the author meant in the first statement of chapter nineteen.  
If this was fifth year, Lily dreaded to think of what next year would be like.

The last week of the year went like a blur. As Lily rode aboard the Hogwarts Express, the faithful old train, all she could remember of the past week was Gryffindor winning the house cup. Lily grinned at the memory.

'You look happy,' noted Alice, as the train went over a particularly large bump in the track.

Lily shrugged, still smiling. 'It's been a good week.'

'No kidding,' said Lizzie cheerfully. 'The Quidditch _and _the House Cup.'

Lily nodded enthusiastically.

She knew she would miss Hogwarts, but she was looking forward to seeing her parents again … she hadn't seen them since Christmas. She even hoped to see Petunia. Lily chewed her lip. She would give anything to get her relationship back with her sister. _That was Sev's fault, too, _Lily thought downheartedly. She was sick of making excuses for Severus. He had ruined her, and she had seen it coming too. Lily had just fooled herself into thinking it was fine, and that he would never hurt her. _But look how that turned out._

'You okay?' asked Alice, peering into Lily's face.

Lily composed herself quickly, and said, 'Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine.'

There was no point bringing up such a horrible subject when this was the last time she would get to see her friends until next school year.

'You _will _write, won't you?' said a teary eyed Mary, as they came nearer to their destination.

Lily smiled. 'Of course we'll write, Mar.'

'Because she would kill you if you didn't,' pointed out Lizzie.

'Promise to come and visit,' said Alice sadly.

'Oh, not you too,' sighed Holly, throwing her arms around both of the girls.

Lily joined the hug, and then was thumped by behind as Lizzie joined in. Mary, being the most vulnerable one, began to sod quietly, while Holly awkwardly patted her on the head.

'It's okay, Mar. It's not like you're losing us forever,' said Holly, in the most comforting voice she could manage.

Mary laughed shakily. 'Yeah, it's just… the summer seems to take forever.

The train screeched to a halt, and the girls filed out. They stuck together in one tight huddled group, all except Holly, who was watching them with a bemused expression.

'We'll all be seventh years next year,' hiccupped Lizzie.

'That's nothing to worry about, sweetie,' said a voice behind them.

'Mother!' exclaimed Lily, barrelling the woman with a hug. 'And Father! I thought you said you couldn't make it!'

Her mother laughed. 'And miss seeing our little girl again? I don't think so.'

Her father, Robert, ruffled Lily's hair.

'I think a certain James Potter is waiting to talk to you,' he said, with a sly grin.

Lily stuck her tongue out, but walked over to where James was waiting.

James was shifting nervously from foot to foot and his hand was ruffling his already messy hair.

'Hi, er, um, Lily,' he said, unable to control his stuttering. 'I was wondering, I mean hoping, whether you would, um, well, like to write, I mean keep contact, with me over, er, the summer.'

Lily smiled. Boys were hopeless in these situations.

'I mean, only if you want to.

Lily smiled, a full smile this time. 'Of course James. I would love to.'

James grinned. 'That's great!'

He gave her a quick awkward boy hug, before hurrying of to his parents. _Boys, _Lily thought. Still laughing inside, Lily headed back to her own parents.

'Let's go home.'

* * *

**A / N: **I hope that wasn't too bad, but it might've been a bit boring. Oh well. Please review!


	6. Chapter 6, The Summer Sky Is Blue

**A / N: **The summer holidays! For Lily and James, or course, not me. I'm about to go into winter down in the southern hemisphere. Also, thanks to my wonderful reviewers!

**Disclaimer: **I do not live in the desert as much I as own Harry Potter. In other words, I do not own Harry Potter.

* * *

James scribbled out a sentence, paused, then crumpled up the piece of parchment and threw it at the wall, which below a small pile was beginning to gather.

Taking a fresh piece of parchment, he began again.

_Hello Lily, I was just writing to make sure that you knew I was serious about being friends and_

No. That definitely wouldn't do. Now he sounded like he didn't even really want to write to her, which, of course, he did. James set his quill down on his desk and sighed. This was impossible. The rate he was going, he and Lily wouldn't end up talking all summer.

James decided to get some fresh air to clear his head; in other words, going down to the kitchen. As he walked down the stairs, James was able to fully embrace the beauty of Potter Manor. The elegant marble stair case, and the gold trimmings on the door frames, window frames and on the banisters.

James snuck past his mother, who had just come back from work, not wanting to get her engrossed in a story about work. As he walked backwards out of the front door, James collided painfully with something hard.

'Padfoot?' said James in disbelief, staring at his friend. 'Why are you here?'

Sirius mumbled something as Dorea Potter came to James' side.

'Honey, speak up. What's wrong?' said Dorea kindly.

James' mother had always had a knack for being able to know exactly what people were feeling.

'I-' Sirius began, sounding a little unsure himself. 'I ran away from home.'

James stood there in shock, and Dorea guided Sirius inside and shut the door. She sat him down in a chair, where Sirius sat, gazing numbly at James.

'It was my mother… she – I – I can't live with them anymore.' Sirius murmured.

Dorea pursed her lips. She had always refrained from making comments about Sirius' family in front of him.

With a quick glance at his mother, James threw a bear hug at Sirius.

'You can stay here, mate. You know that.'

Sirius nodded. 'I – yeah, thanks.'

James took Sirius up to one of the many spare bedrooms; the manor was a lot bigger than it needed to be. It was a grand room, with a high ceiling and scarlet velvet curtains that fell from floor to ceiling. Sirius flung himself down on to the four poster beds golden covers.

'Hey Prongs, are you coming to the Prewett's party?' Sirius asked, somewhat lazily.

'What party?' said James sharply. 'I didn't get an invitation.'

Sirius snorted. 'Yes you did. I saw it on your desk when we walked up, along with a letter from Lily.'

'What?!' James yelped.

He dashed up to his bedroom, where, on his desk, lay two innocent sealed white envelopes. How had he not noticed them?

James ripped open the first one, sent from Alice.

_Hello James,_

_I thought you might like to come to the party my families holding on Sunday. Mother says it's going to be a picnic, but you know she always gets carried away. I suggest formal clothing By that I mean DRESS ROBES. Yes. You heard me, and don't you dare miss it, as a certain Lily Evans will be there._

_Yours truly, Alice._

_PS – You better send a reply quickly. No body ignores Alice Prewett and gets away with it._

'Told you!' said Sirius triumphantly.

James let out a short laugh, and began on a reply.

_So sorry Alice, I lost the letter, and I only just found it now. Of course I'll come, but I guess I'll have to start practicing my shield charm again._

_From, James._

James wondered mildly about the time Alice had used _Engorgio Skullus, _a variation of the engorgement charm, to make his head swells to the size _'that it was anyway'. _James hoped it had deflated fully, because he wanted to be better. He _needed _to be better. For Lily if not himself.

James ripped open the second letter.

_Hi James,_

_I haven't heard from you all summer, so I thought I'd make the first move, because I really do want us to be friends. My summer has been great. How about you? Also, are you going to Alice's party? She'd kill you if you missed it. Hope to hear from you soon!_

_Lily_

James grinned, and began to write.

_Hey Lily,_

_Yes, my summer has been great too. I'm am coming to the party, and I think you're right about Alice. See you there!_

_James_

James sat back in his chair and let out a satisfied breath. All he had to do now was wait.

'Oi, James. Here's Pokey,' said Sirius, nudging James.

'Ah, Pokey! Here's my favourite elf!' said James, smiling.

The little elf bowed. 'You is needing a letter sent, Master James?'

James grabbed the letters from the desk. 'Here you are Pokey. Thanks!'

Pokey bowed, and hurried off with the letters, and a moment later James saw and owl flying away out the window.

'Great elf. Better than the one at my – my mother's place,' said Sirius heartily.

James gave a tentative grin, not sure whether Sirius was still feeling bitter about his old home inside. Sirius appeared not to, however, instead taking on the topic of dress robes which passionate disgust.

* * *

Lily tapped her foot absentmindedly. Two more minutes. Then Petunia would come home. Lily didn't know why she was anticipating it; Petunia hated her after all, but they were still sisters, and Lily had missed her.

Lily stood up with sudden aggression, and there was a quiet crash as a photo frame fell of her dresser. Lily looked down at it. She watched as an eleven year-old Severus handed a wilted rose to a younger version of herself. The younger version of Lily smiled and kissed the shy boy on the cheek. Lily's face crumpled, and she curled in on herself, her body shaking with violent sobs.

* * *

Petunia heard a crash from upstairs. _Lily's room, _she thought.  
Petunia stormed up the stairs, and barged into her sister's room, an insult on the tip of her tongue. The harsh words caught in her throat as she saw Lily curled up in a ball, rocking back and forth, tears running down her face.

Petunia sat down on the bed next to her sister, all past resentment forgotten. She stroked her sister's hair, her other arm around Lily's shoulder.

'Tell me, Lily-bunny, what's the matter?' Petunia soothed, using the childhood nickname from when Lily had been obsessed with the Easter Bunny.

Soon her sister spilled the whole sad, sorry tale.

* * *

**A / B: **Hoped you liked it! I know the last chapter was a little boring, but they had to start the summer somehow, I guess. Please review!


	7. Chapter 7, Prewett Manor

**A / N: **Hellooo! It's time for the party! If only I was at a party …

**Disclaimer: **No, I do not own Harry Potter, and I have to go to school tomorrow, and that's that.

* * *

Lily gazed dreamily out the window. It had been an awfully long time since Petunia had been on speaking terms with her.

'YOU PUT _FLOUR _IN MY _HAIR!' _screeched Holly, snapping Lily back to her senses.

'That would be baking soda, sweetie, not flour,' said Alice, giving an amused smile.

Alice had called the girls together to go shopping, but first she had insisted on making them back a cake for the picnic first. Arranged in Prewett Manor, Lily wondered where the Pure Blood families got all their money from. The manor was decorated with dark greens, creams and golds. Even the tap they had used had been solid gold. The drapes were a beautiful emerald green, as was the rug beside the hearth. Lucretia Prewett (Alice's mother) had dropped in to say hello before leaving for work. Lucretia had amazing golden hair and caramel coloured eyes, just like Alice, and the two looked unnervingly alike.

The heavy aroma of eggs, flour, and sugar still lingered in the kitchen. Lily removed her head from it's rest on the window, and looked at the scene appearing before her.

Right as they were about to use the Floo Network to get out into muggle London to shop, Lizzie had thought it a good idea to throw a handful of baking soda into Holly hair. While Holly shrieked, Mary poured a little bit of vinegar on to Holly pristine locks as well.

Holly head began to foam, as she screeched and screeched. Alice lazily removed the mess from the floor and the hair from her spot on the velvet green armchair, leaving Holly to chase Mary and Lizzie around the kitchen and into the living room.

While Holly was distracted with Mary, Lizzie grabbed a pinch of floo powder, threw it into the grate and shouted 'Diagon Ally!' before disappearing. Mary ran, mad with giggles, to follow Lizzie, Holly in hot pursuit.

Soon it was just Alice and Lily left.

'Now, I've made your dress a priority,' Alice reassured Lily, twirling her hair around her finger.

Lily just looked startled. 'Why?'

Alice rolled her eyes. '_James _is going to be there, Honey. You're dressing up for him.'

Lily laughed, and stepped into the glittering green flames.

* * *

Holly stood, clicking her tongue impatiently in front of the fire place as Alice and Lily burst through, trying to stifle their giggles.

Holly watch curiously as Lily's fiery red curls bounced on her shoulders, partly obscuring those amazing green orbs of hers. Holly had always envied Lily's hair and it's stunning colour, but Holly knew that she wasn't ugly. In fact, she was quite proud of her black locks and blue eyes, as was she aware that about every boy in the school fancied her, and that she had dated half of them.

Lily and the others also thought that Holly fancied Sirius. Holly didn't. No, she wasn't _that _clique. Her interest in Sirius was simply because he was just like her; he shagged everyone. It made sense for them to share at least one kiss, but it didn't have to mean anything.

For once, Alice had agreed to do something that Holly had wanted to do. Shopping. Shopping was like retail therapy for Holly. It was all very calming, apart from that little prank Lizzie and Mary had decided to play. It didn't matter though; Holly had got them back. No one wanted to be on the receiving end of her Bat-Bogey Hex. They would be picking Bogeys out of their clothes for days. Mission accomplished.

As they girls wandered down the street, Holly took the liberty of pointing out the perfect dresses for her friends. Holly was determined to find something green for Lily, to match her eyes, and Holly was thinking either red, silver or blue for herself. Gold for Lizzie, and anything would go with Mary. Alice could probably handle black satin. It was going to be perfect.

* * *

James ran a nervous hand through his hair as he caught the first glance of Prewett Manor. The manor had been decorated with thousands of shimmering lights, and tail coated waiters moved from each small table to the next, each carrying a unique platter. Moonlight glinted off the windows, giving the patio a mystical feeling.

Next to him, James felt his mother laugh. 'Some picnic. Lucretia always gets carried away. I'll be meeting your father inside.'

And with that, Dorea weaved into the crowd, her glittering gown disappearing out of sight.

Sirius gave James a nudge and called out, 'Oi! Frank!'

Soon the brown hair boy with which the shared a dormitory came into sight.

'Hi,' Frank said, a little breathlessly. 'Have you seen Alice anywhere? I'm hoping tonight's the night Wish me luck.'

After assuring him that her would have no trouble winning Alice's heart, the boys moved through the guests, looking for the girls themselves. Everybody at the party was laughing and chatting, but James knew better than to think that the neighbours could hear anything. Only thing was, it would be hard to find Lily in all this racket. After all, they were friends now. He just wanted to see a friend. Of course, James knew he wanted more than that, but he wasn't going to push her; she had made a big step already.

Then his jaw dropped open.

In front of him, wearing an elegant strapless emerald gown, her fiery hair swept to the side, was Lily. Her hair had been done in a waterfall braid, and she was wearing touches of make-up, but to James' approval, her natural beauty had been left alone to shine as the brightest light at the party. And her _dress_. It highlighted the subtle streaks of gold in Lily's eyes, making her look simply magical.

'You look – er – um – _wow,_' mumbled James, only just regaining the use of his tongue.

'You don't look to bad yourself, James,' said Lily, giving a dazzling smile.

James exhaled slowly; he hadn't realised he'd been holding his breath.

Next to him, Sirius gave a low whistle. 'Helloooo, ladies.'

Alice giggled, and Holly batted her eyelashes, looking stunning in a deep blue gown. James could see Holly's sense of style in all of their outfits, and he suspected who had been the dress manager in the group. Lizzie was wearing gold, Alice black, and Mary was wearing silver.

Frank, Wormy, and Remus caught up, and greeted the group, while Frank tried to sustain a conversation with Alice. James however, was irreversibly captivated by Lily. She was a bit shorter than James, and her green eyes gazed wonderingly into his own.

A slow song struck up, and slowly couples were moving on to the temporary dance floor that had been set up outside.

'Alice …?' Frank asked.

Alice laughed. 'I'd love to.'

As they began to sway to the music, Sirius gave Holly that Sirius grin that he always used when he was trying to charm witches.

'Care to dance?'

Holly ran a hand through Sirius' hair. 'You wouldn't dare.'

But they began to dance anyway.

Remus asked Mary, and Lizzie, in pity for Peter, asked him to dance.

It was just James and Lily left, and he was completely tongue tied.

'Er, um, would you…' James stuttered.

'I would love to, James,' said Lily.

* * *

Lily felt as if she had just run a race. Seeing James in evening wear had made her completely breathless. His hazel eyes shone in the shimmering lights that were draped in the garden. The Prewett's garden had never looked so magical. The vines and flowers were all soft purples, yellows and greens. Each small circular table had a branch of mistletoe at the centre, the small white berries illuminated in the moon light.

It was a centuries old waltz, and James turned out to be an excellent dancer. Lily leant against him slightly for support, hoping against shoe that she would tread on his shoe. She recognised the wizarding song to be _So Cold _by _The Dragon's Teardrops. _She had heard Mary singing this song too many times to count.

_Oh, you can't hear me cry  
See my dreams all die  
From where you're standing  
On your own.  
It's so quiet here  
And I feel so cold  
This house no longer  
Feels like home._

Too many dreams had died, but Lily knew of all the new ones that had arisen.

_You caused my heart to bleed and  
You still owe me a reason  
'Cause I can't figure out why...  
Why I'm alone and freezing  
While you're in the bed that she's in  
And I'm just left alone to cry_

Sev _had _caused her heart to bleed. Tears threaten to come out of Lily's eyes. _No, no, no, I'm _not _going to cry, _Lily thought, swallowing back tears. _Not here with James_. Every time she listened to this song she cried. Some of the lyrics were just too close to home.  
Lily looked up to see if James had noticed anything, but he was staring at something over her shoulder.

'Lily,' he said, his voice wary.

Then a scream sounded from the edge of the garden. Lily whipped around, as all around the garden there were loud pops as people disapparated. Masked figures appeared all around the garden and the fairy lights went out.

'Death eaters,' muttered Sirius.

Charlus Potter, came up to the huddled group. In was uncanny how much he looked like his son, James.

'Kids, stay here. It will be okay. We'll come and get you.' His voice was rushed and had an edge of panic.

No one, not even the Aurors, had expected this.

'He's mental if a thinks we're just going to stay here and not fight!' said James defiantly.

James and Sirius drew out their wands simutaniously, and after one fleeting glance at each other, they joined the fight.

'Sometimes I wish I wasn't a bloody Gryffindor,' mumbled Lily, before following suit.

Jets of light screamed past them as they entered the chaos, sometimes so close that Lily's hair stood on end. There were less screams in the air; most of the guests had disaparated. Hooded and masked figures were laughing, flicking their wands lazily to cause more destruction. Lily recognised one of the masked figures to be Avery's father. Avery (senior) shot a spell at James, only narrowly missing his head. James let out a growling noise and the two began to duel, as did the rest of the group.  
A shrill laugh came from Lily's right, and Lily whipped around to see who it was.

Lily's face crumpled up into a snarl. '_Bellatrix Black.'_

The dark haired witch put a finger to her head. 'Black did you say? No, no. It's Lestrange now. I'm surprised you didn't know already! But, of course, you weren't invited to the wedding _Mudblood.'_

Bellatrix laughed manically, and with a flick of her wand, she shot a stinging hex at Lily.

'Just going it easy!'

Lily dodged the spell, and retaliated with one of her own.

'Is that the best you've got, Missy!' shrieked Bellatrix.

'No,' Lily growled, tilted her head. 'But this is!'

She shot a jet of blue light at the death eater, and Bellatrix stumbled back, clutching her arm.

'You'll pay for that, Mudblood! Crucio!'

The next thing Lily knew, twenty or so knife seemed to be stabbing her, over and over again as she was held up in the air. Her whole body was on fire. Whether it was hot or cold, Lily didn't know, she just wanted it to stop. Lily screwed her eyes up against the pain. Anything but this. _Death _was better than this. Lily heard screams, and then realised that they were her own.

Then it was finally over, and Lily collapse in a heap, whimpering.

Bellatrix bent over her. 'You'll have to scream louder than that, Mudblood. I used a little spell that seems to be quite popular at Hogwarts these day. Called Muffliato. Not that you would know any better, Mudblood.'

Bellatrix paused, and Lily stared into her fathomless eyes, feeling petrified. This wasn't scary. It was terrifying. Lily knew of Muffliato of course, but from a witch like Bellatrix, it was probably powerful enough to block out even her screams. It was like there was an invisible bubble around the two witches; the voices outside it sounded muffled.

Then Bellatrix began again. 'Mudblood … You might not know what it means … Never mind, I'll spell it out here for you.'

Bellatrix pulled a long solver dagger out from underneath her robes, and began to cut the skin on Lily's collarbone.

'D-I-R-T-Y…' Bellatrix murmured, her tongue between her teeth.

As the words were cut into Lily's skin, Lily began to scream again, fighting for all she was worth but Bellatrix's grip was too strong. She wouldn't take it. She _couldn't _take it.

'B-L-O-O-D,' Bellatrix finished. 'There. Dirty Blood. That's what it means.'

The blood began to stain the neckline of Lily's dress, and she screamed and screamed in agony as Bellatrix hit her with another Cruciatus curse.

Vaguely, Lily heard the buzzing sound stop, and all the volume turned up in the world. Next moment Bellatrix had disaparated, and Charlus Potter's lined face appeared over her own.

'_Lily.'_

**A / N: **I hope that wasn't too bad! The song in there is actually _So Cold _by _Ben Cocks, _and I seriously recommend it. Ahhh, poor Lily. Unforgivable curses are just, well, unforgivable.


	8. Chapter 8, Cornflakes and Carpet Fluff

**A / N: **I'm back! And sorry for that typo when they were on the train. James and Lily are going into sixth year, not seventh year. I know a couple of you picked it up. Also thanks to all my wonderful reviewers!

**Disclaimer: **_I am not a poet, and all of you know it, but if I owned a certain book, that would leave me off the hook, but alas, it is JK Rowling that does … _Ah, never mind. I suck at poetry. But you guys get the gist.

* * *

'Tortured … she _tortured _her'

James' voice was shaking with rage.

Then it softened.

'I should've been there …' he whispered.

Sirius gave his friend an incredulous look, while Remus patted James on the back.

'James, you were on the other side of the manor. You couldn't have got there, even if you weren't duelling. None of us could've.'

James nodded, but he pulled his knees towards his chest and began to rock back and forth slowly.

The room was filled with silence as the late morning sun lit up the room. No one wanted to talk. What would they talk about? Each of them were shocked, mostly horrified. Why had the Death Eaters come? And why had Lily gotten caught in the middle …  
Alice was sitting on the couch, sporting blood lip, while Mary looked as white as snow, staring blankly into space.

_Lily._

James had spotted her first, lying in a soft patch of grass. He had yelled while his father had ran to her side. She had been carried into one of the Prewett's spare rooms, while the small group waited in the sitting room. James shook his head. He would never be able to shake off the feeling he had gotten in the pit of his stomach as he had seen Lily's crumpled figure, her wild hair covering her face, blood staining the neckline of her emerald dress. He wanted nothing more than for her to be alright.

* * *

Lily up at the forest green ceiling. She wasn't sure anyone knew she was awake; she was almost positive they didn't. Admittedly she did feign sleep every time someone walked in to check on her. She didn't know why she was doing it. Lily guessed she just wanted to be alone. She had been staring at the ceiling for what seemed like an hour now; she could trace all the bumps and cracks for memory. The stinging on her collarbone wasn't hurting too much anymore; no doubt some magical remedy had been used on it. After all, it was just a knife wound, not some sort of spell.

Lily had been dressed in what seemed to a pair of Alice's old pyjamas when she woke up. She wondered vaguely who had dressed her. Lily gazed around her sanctuary. It was a grand room that she lay in, no doubt about that. She had woken up in a four poster double bed, piled with silk covers. The room was full of curving angles and soft pastels. Lily liked it. It seemed friendly.

Swinging her legs of the side of the bed, Lily made her way over to the mirror. Her green evening dress had been hung over the top, but the mirror was tall enough so that Lily could see the words _dirty blood _written in messy script, still slightly oozing blood. Lily might have taken off the bandages before the needed to be … Oops. But she needed to see the words for herself.

Lily bit her lip as the PJ's brushed against the wound until she could taste her own blood. Of all the times to get injured...

It had been some party. Well, it hadn't been all bad. Until the Death Eaters had arrived, it had been quite enjoyable. Lily felt herself blush as she remembered how she had danced with James. His head really must have deflated a lot if she had agreed to dance with him. Maybe she had just gotten caught up in the moment. Lily Evans and James Potter? Now what sounded wrong with that sentence? _But things are different now, _Lily reminded herself. _We're friends._

'Lily?' said a voice from the other side of the door.

Lily dived into her bed as fast as her heavy limbs felt possible. She snuggled her face into her pillow and tried to look fast asleep, meanwhile her brain was ticking over.

'Lily I know you're awake.'

It was Alice.

Lily heard the door close, and finally gave in, turning around to face those pesky girls that she happened to share a dormitory with.

The girls filed around and sat down on the end of the bed.

'You really scared us, Lils,' said Mary, her voice shaking slightly.

Lily gave a weak smile, and Alice stroked her hair.

Holly looked straight into Lily's eyes, looking as white as chalk; so pale that her black hair looked like ink against paper.

'You swear that will _never _happen again. _Never_.'

Lily could actually see Holly shaking, but Holly was still pulling off a determined expression.

'I'll try, Holl,' Lily said softly and pulled her friend into a hug.

Holly hugged her so firmly as if to prevent Lily ever leaving her again. Lily had never seen Holly look so vulnerable. With a small smile, Lily squeezed her back, Holly's jet black hair tickling her nose.

'Breaky?' suggested Lizzie feebly.

Lily nodded. She was _starving._

The breakfast table was made of birch wood, and could easily fit twenty people. It only needed to fit nine, however, as the adults had eaten breakfast earlier. The room was huge, and little house elves came up with breakfast trays. There was every breakfast you could imagine: eggs and bacon; cereal; toast, beans; etc.

It was a fairly silent breakfast until, 'YOU BEANS BETRAYED ME!'

Sirius was staring at his plate of been with mingled hurt ad disgust.

Remus frowned. 'Sirius-'

'THEY LIE! THEY TASTE LIKE EAR WAX!'

'Sirius calm down-'

'I WILL DESTROY YOU!'

Sirius raised his wand and pointed it at his beans.

Holly put a firm hand on his wand so that it pointed at the ground. 'That wasn't a bean Sirius. That was a piece of carpet fluff.'

Everyone roared with laughter, and Lizzie started snorting, which just made them laugh even more. Mary fell off her chair, and poor Peter's corn flakes flew everywhere.

Sirius was whacking his tongue feverishly, and resorted to using a syphoning charm; until, of course, it syphoned all his saliva out until his mouth was bone dry. He grabbed the water jug, and downed the contents in one. Well, almost. Sirius spat most of it out.

Lily couldn't help smiling as she saw a wet cornflake land softly on Alice's nose.

* * *

James turned the knob of the door to the breakfast hall with a strange sense of dread. He didn't know what he expected, but his stomach felt like it was made of stone. What he didn't expect, however, was the maddening chaos that he saw when he entered the room.

Sirius was gagging on the floor, and Mary was tangled in her own clothes, while everyone had at least ten pieces of cornflakes on them. He was suprising he hadn't heard the laughing from out in the hall. The only person not laughing was Holly. She was sitting in a chair in the corner, watching the scene with a bemused expression.

It took James a few seconds to find Lily forest gaze in amidst the wild cornflake party, as Sirius keep on retching in the corner in a very disturbing manner. _Lucky our parents have already left, _James thought idly. _They would think Sirius was being murdered._

Suddenly green met hazel as Lily caught his eye. She removed herself from the mess of the table and walked over to where James was standing.

'Hey,' she said quietly.

'Hey,' James replied.

'You should eat something,' Lily said. 'But you might not want any cornflakes.

James grinned and Lily giggled.

'Why not?' James asked, running a hand through his hair.

'Because you have about five in your hair.'

James yelped and began to pick them out while Lily laughed, guiding him over to his seat at the table. Things just might be going back how they should be.

* * *

**A / N: **Cornflakes = the devil.


	9. Chapter 9, Bitter Rancour

**A / N: **Sorry for the long wait; I got pretty distracted over Easter. But I'm back!

**Disclaimer: **If I owned Harry Potter, I would not have killed the majority of my favourite characters *cough cough*. So there.

* * *

Lily stopped outside the door to her house and took a deep breath. Alice's parents had driven her home using a Ministry car that had been loaned to them for special purposes. Lily was wearing a turtle neck green sweater as to cover the cuts from the party. She didn't know how the Prewett's had manage to get it from her wardrobe at home and into their manor for her to change, but she strongly suspected a summoning charm. Lucretia had been apologising over and over; she had thought herself at fault for what had happened at the party, but Lily had assured her that there was nothing to be sorry for.

Lily looked up at the weathered wooden door. Should she knock? It was her own house … Either way, she should give her parents a warning. Lily gave a small knock on the door, and then walked inside.

She was greet with softly patterned wallpaper and a golden lamp that was throwing a circle of light onto the ceiling. The house was the same as ever, and she could hear the sweet sound of her mother singing from the kitchen.

Lily dropped the bag containing her dress and ran into the kitchen, barrelling Rose Evans with a bear hug. Rose let out a small laugh, and hugged her daughter back, though she couldn't quite figure out why her daughter needed this much comfort.

'What's happened Darling?' asked Rose lovingly. 'Are you going to see Severus these holidays?'

Lily face crumpled, and Rose's face showed that she understood only too well.

She began to stroke her daughters her soothingly.

'I once had a friend like yours. Two, actually. We shared everything, did everything together. Only when I started dating her brother, she told him that I was no good. That – that I was cheating on him,' Rose paused, a sorrowful expression on her face as she replayed painful events. 'Of course, he dumped me. The two people that I had never thought would leave me, had deserted me. I was angry, and I wouldn't accept any apologies. Rancour is a vile thing, and you mustn't let it consume you. Forgiveness is much, much, sweeter than revenge.'

'Mother I've missed you!' Lily mumbled into her mother's apron, realising herself from the hug.

At times like these Lily truly realised how much Rose had helped Lily through life.

Rose smiled. 'Yes, dear, me too, although it only has been one day. Why did you need to stay the night again?'

Lily bit her lip as Rose brushed her dark red hair behind her ear. Lily had always envied the shade of her mother's hair, and she hoped her own hair would darken to that shade of red. Lily however, had gotten the better set of eyes. No one in her family had the same sparkling emerald iris.

Lily knew the lie she had to tell, but she hated lying to her mother. Only she had to. Lily feared that if she told them what had really happened, they might take on a more Petunia-like attitude towards wizards.

'I offered to help them pack up the party, but it was quite late, so they let me stay until morning,' said Lily.

Rose gave a small laugh. 'In other words, you attended the after party?'

Lily nodded, putting on a shy grin as if she had been caught out.

'You must been tired then, darling. Do you want to get some sleep?' her mother offered kindly.

Lily, who didn't feel the least bit tired after her long nap, asked instead, 'I'm not tired. _Really,' _she added when Rose pulled a sceptical expression. 'Do you think Tuney and I could go to the park?'

Rose beamed. Lily knew her mother had become so much happier now that her two daughters were on speaking terms.

'Of course, dear. Petunia is just out the back.'

Lily gave a cheeky grin. 'Okay. See you soon! Also thanks for the banana muffin!'

Rose looked down at the cooling tray where one muffin was missing, and sighed, but smiled all the same.

In ten minutes time, Lily and Petunia were heading to the old park that they used to visit as children. Everything was still there as it had been, but the grass was considerably greener and lush. The park was lined with tall fir trees, and the swing set gave a high pitched creak, as if saying that it was glad that its old occupants were back.

The two sister sat down on one of the small grass hills, and began to fill each other in on the year that had past. Lily didn't talk much about magic, but talked about the big events friendships wise. Petunia already knew about the Mudblood incident, but she listened a second time, as it had been hard to hear the story when Lily was sobbing.

'That little git,' said Petunia when Lily finished.

Lily nodded. 'You got that right!'

'No I don't. I'm only saying git because mother doesn't like us using rude words.'

The sweet sound of the two sister's laughter flooded the air.

Petunia stopped laughing abruptly and stared at something over Lily's shoulder, a disgusted expression on her face. Lily turned around and saw Severus' weedy face looking hopefully up at her from a safe distance.

'Lily, could I talk to you? Please?'

'Stay away from her, freak!' Petunia spat fiercely.

Lily put a hand on her sister's shoulder. 'It's alright. I'll speak with him.'

'Fine. But if you're not back in five minutes I'm coming over,' said Petunia with one last contemptuous look of loathing at Severus.

'Thanks, Tuney. We'll be quick.'

Lily followed Severus to the corner of the playground where she stopped, folding her arms.

'You wanted to talk to me?' Lily asked coldly.

'Yes, I just wanted to apologise. If that little toerag Potter hadn't pushed me –' Sev began.

'Don't you dare blame it on James!' said Lily fiercely.

Undeterred, Snape continued. 'But, imagine, having to be defended by a girl!'

'Now that is incredibly sexist.'

'Potter and his friends hexed me!'

Lily found this conversation an opportune time to practice her poker face. 'I already told you, it's not James' fault you called me a Mudblood. You are only making things worse for yourself.'

'_James. _So you're on a first name basis, now?' Severus inquired. 'He's no good for you!'

Lily raised an eyebrow. 'I don't see him calling me a Mudblood.'

'But we're friends!' pleaded Snape.

Lily sighed. 'Severus, you know I forgive you.' Sev perked up, but then his face drooped at Lily's next words. 'That doesn't mean we are friends. We have passed that, Sev. You just need to accept that we are going our own ways.'

And with that, Lily strode back to her sister.

Petunia gave her sister a questioning look.

Lily smiled weakly. 'I don't think we'll be seeing him again.'

Snape watched the two sisters leave the park, his heart as heavy as stone.

'I love you Lily,' he whispered as he watched the love of his life leave him forever.

* * *

**A / N: **I know, I know, it's really short. But it's on to the Hogwarts Express next chapter! I was thinking that I would update until I get four reviews. Ah, you guys know I'm bluffing, but those reviews would be nice. :)


	10. Chapter 10, The Journey Back Home

**A / N: **I'm just going to clear up a little confusion that's going on. I made a mistake, Lily and her friends aren't going into seventh year, they are going into sixth year. Hope that's OK with you guys! And I know I haven't posted in ages D:, but I'm a perfectionist, and I kept on making mistakes.

**Disclaimer: **JK Rowling = Harry Potter, Me = school tomorrow :(

* * *

'Bye Dad! Bye Mother!' Lily said, giving her parents one last hug.

'Be safe, darling,' her mother replied, smiling.

'I will,' Lily assured her for what felt like the tenth time.

The group of three stood at the barrier between platforms nine and ten, saying their last farewells. To Lily's disappointment Petunia couldn't make it, but then again, Lily had been a freak to her sister a few short weeks ago. The summer holidays had finished, but they were the most marvellous holidays Lily had ever had. No, they didn't go anywhere, but Lily had her sister back, which made the whole thing splendid. _And _Lily had gotten quite remarkable results on her OWLs, too.  
And now Lily had a pet to take to school, too. Her parents had taken her out to London a fortnight ago where they purchased an adorable black cat with green eyes just like her owner. Lily had named her Soot, for her jet black coat. Lily had considered naming her Diana, for the Roman goddess of the moon, but she thought Diana was more of a people's name.

Soot was curled up in the corner of Lily's trolley, and to Lily amazement, had managed to fall asleep on the cold metal wiring. Lily's trunk took up the rest of the space. There were so many new books that were needed for her sixth year, and Lily was itching to finish reading them all. Lily was two thirds of the way through _The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 6_ by Miranda Goshawk, and it contained some of the weirdest spells, including one that made objects follow the caster around the place. Lily would never have to carry her bag again …

Snapping out of her reverie, Lily turned her trolley around and walked towards the brick wall. At the last second Lily closed her eyes; Lily knew she would pass straight through, but somehow the instinct to walk into a brick wall still didn't come naturally.

'LILY'S HERE!'

Lily opened her eyes to see an over enthusiastic Lizzie barrelling her with a hug. Soot gave a confused meow, not completely sure on what had woken her up.

'About time, too. You've beaten Alice and Mary, though. They haven't arrived yet,' said an impatient Holly, looking incredibly beautiful.

Behind her shone the Hogwarts Express, steam still issuing from its pipes.

'Quiet down Lizzie, you'll wake Charlie,' said a voice from behind the two girls.

There Lily saw Molly Weasley, a young boy clinging to her arm, and an infant cradled in the other. Molly had finished school a few years previously, and after marrying Arthur, took up the surname Weasley. Lily had been given Molly's whole life story by an excited Alice when the time of their wedding had come. Alice was Molly's cousin, and Lily had personally helped Alice get into her bridesmaid dress.

Molly's bright brown eyes were looking a little more tired, and her carroty hair looked as though it had been brushed as an afterthought. Lily wondered vaguely about the effects of becoming a mother.

'Lily, dear, I'm so sorry about what happened at the party,' said Molly, putting a hand on the younger girls shoulder.

'What?' said Lily, for a second not sure what Molly was talking about.

'About –' Molly paused, looking at her children. '_You-Know-Who.'_

'Oh, don't worry it wasn't your fault,' Lily assured her.

'Did you say u-no-poo?' asked Molly's eldest son with a questioning expression.

'That's right, Bill, darling,' said Molly distractedly.

'U-no-poo! U-no-poo!' Bill began to chant.

'Oh no, he'll be teaching that to all of his brothers,' said Molly worriedly.

'_Brothers_ as in plural?' asked Holly.

Molly smiled. 'Yes. Apart from Charlie here –' she gestured at the baby in her arms, '- I've got another one on the way.'

Molly looked down at her stomach in an affectionate way.

'Oh congratulations!' gushed Lily. 'Have you decided on a name yet?'

Molly sighed slightly. 'Arthur wants to name it Clyde if it's a boy, but I think Percy would be much better, don't you think?' All three girls gave a hurried approval. 'Anyway, if it's a girl, Arthur and I have agreed on Leanora.'

'Ooooh, that's pretty. Definitely Leanora,' said a happy voice from behind them.

'Alice! Mary! You're here!' exclaimed Lily, giving them both a quick hug.

'You took your time,' said Holly, but she smiled and greeted her friends.

Alice grinned. 'Got held up in traffic. But we should get on the train, it'll leave soon.'

The five girls said goodbye to Molly, and heaved their luggage on to the train.

Lily cursed under her breath. She swore her truck had doubled in weight since last year. Soot climbed up on to Lily's shoulder with her little needle-like claws and sat down like she was on Pride Rock.

Lily led the gaggle of girls through the train, looking for and empty compartment. The chatter of newly reunited friends filled the train corridor, and the lamps were swinging from the roof dangerous Lily.

'Hey, Lily-pollen!

Lily whipped her fiery head around to see Sirius Black's flirty grin hanging out of the compartment on her left.

'Care to join us?' he asked, shaking his hair out of his face.

'Oh shut up,' Lily said, but followed him through the open door of the compartment.

All the marauders sat in there, but it was a nine person cabin, so they all fit in fine. James gave Lily and awkward boy hug for a hello, causing Holly to smirk behind his back and for Lily to turn a delicate rosy pink.

The group shifted uncomfortably for a few minutes, until Lizzie broke the silence.

'Oh, really. You guys are ridiculous. We aren't going to sit here in silence! We're sixth years now! We have to set good examples!' Lizzie stated indignantly.

'We get free periods now …' said weedy Peter wistfully. 'Chocolate frog anyone?'

Remus took the frog, and after he bit off its head, Sirius leaned back lazily. 'Whole periods left open for pranking.'

Lily gave him a reproachful look, and Remus huffed.

'We'll need that time for _studying_,' Lily and Remus told him simultaneously, though Remus' voice was rather muffled by chocolate.

Just at that moment, the train began to move, and the loud whistle blew, causing all the passengers to wince. Lily smiled to herself. The journey had begun. They were going back to Hogwarts.

Sirius ignored the studious pair, and began to flirt with Holly instead. Lily grinned. Sirius would have to work a lot harder than usual if he wanted to win Holly's heart, not just her attention.

'So, James,' Alice began. 'What's going on at Potter Manor?'

James sighed. 'Dad's been all alert, and he keeps bugging me about being careful cos' of Voldemort.'

Peter winced at the mention of the name.

'And even Mum has been out late working. There's so much more to do in the Auror office now. So many disappearances.'

A chill went through the compartment, and Mary shivered.

James gave a lopsided smile. 'Oops, sorry guys. I just destroyed the mood.'

'Yes, James. You did,' said an irritated Holly, who had just managed to extract herself from Sirius' "playfulness". 'So I am going to change the subject. I'll be of age soon, so I am expecting a big party, and we'll be learning to Apparate soon, too. My Mum said so.'

The news of Appartition started a healthy buzz of conversation, and all too soon, the train was drifting into a murky sunset, and the nine friends were getting changed into their school robes.  
All along the train, students were collecting their empty chocolate frog wrappers, and exclaiming in excitement as they saw their first glimpse of the majestic castle. It rose into the sky as the fiery orange took its background.

All was well.

* * *

Please review! Just a simple _good _or _bad _will do! XD


	11. Chapter 11, A Warm Welcome

**A / N: **So so so sorry for the long wait! The last time I posted was ... April? I was just so busy and I was mainly focusing on my other story,which I know is unfair for you guys. Again, so sorry. I'm not going to be updating this story as often, as i will be working on my other story primarily. I hope that's okay with you guys. For the last time, sorry for the huge wait.

**Disclaimer: **JK Rowling owns Harry Potter, at least until I develop my persuasion skills.

* * *

James cursed violently, and threw a piece of chalk at Peeves, whom had just pelted him with the very same sharp white cylinder.

'_Screamy bitey, pelty welty!' _cackled Peeves maliciously, dancing out of the way.

'Sod off!' said James angrily.

Lily laughed, and pulled him away before Peeves could pelt him with more chalk.

The small group of nine was attempting to get through the warmly lit entrance hall and in the Great Hall, but Peeves was not one to make a task easy. When she wasn't avoiding the raining chalk, Lily gazed at the interior of the Entrance Hall. Nothing had changed, but that didn't stop Lily feeling awed at the beautiful architecture. It felt like she was seeing the arching wooden beams and the intricately carved marble for the first time.

Lily was snapped out of her thoughts when something small and hard hit the back of her head. Lily muttered something not very lady-like about Peeves under her breath, and slipped her hand into Alice's as the group took a mad run, shielding their faces with their hands and sprint into the Great Hall.

'Phew,' puffed Mary, sliding on to the wooden bench of the Gryffindor table. 'We made it.'

Lily giggled, and sat down next to her friend. The Great Hall had lost none of its grandeur over the summer holidays. The staff table shone like a beacon at the far end of the all, where Lily spotted Professor Slughorn in deep conversation with Dumbledore. The roof was a clear midnight blue, littered with stars and a few more three dimensional lights that were the floating candles.

'When's food up?' demanded Sirius, moving his head slightly so that his dark hair was out of his face.

'Always think about food, boy. The sorting must come first!'

Lily looked around to see a disgruntled Lizzie next to Nearly Headless Nick, the Gryffindor ghost. The ghost's posture was perfect, and his transparent head held a serious expression while wobbling slightly between the ruffles of his robes.

'Hullo, Nick!' said Lily enthusiastically.

'Evening, Lily. You bought a cat, I see,' Nick replied, nodding to the fluffy black object curled on Lily's shoulder. "Wise choice."

'Uh huh. This is Soot.'

'Soot is a stupid name,' Holly moaned. 'I think she should be called Liquorice.'

'I hate liquorice,' said Alice with a grimace. 'But it would make a good cat name.'

'Yeah! Call it Liquorice!' pleaded Sirius.

Soon all of Lily's friends were begging for the change of her cat's name. Lily's mouth was feel slightly open in surprise at the sudden outburst, but she knew she was defeated. Her friends were just a little too good at peer pressuring.

'Please!'

'Come on, you know it's better!'

'Liquorice or Nigel, it's your choice!'

'See, even Soot likes the name better!'

That last one was true.

'I can't believe you just peer pressured me into changing my cats name,' moaned Lily, laying her head in her hands.

James grinned. 'That's what peers are for.'

Sirius meanwhile yelled, 'SUCCESS!' and several second years jumped.

'Ssshhhh,' chided Remus, whacking him gently on the arm.

'What?' said Sirius indignantly.

'The sorting is starting,' replied Remus calmly.

Indeed, when Lily turned around, a long line of frightened first years in oversized Hogwarts robes stumbled into the hall. They all looked immensely small for their clothes, but their eyes were wide and they were all looking around either nervously or hungrily at the four long tables.

There was the cringe worthy sound of a stool being scraped across the floor and then the dull thump as a pointed witch's hat. The tip of the hat drooped lamely, and the brown leathery material crumpled into one place like scrunched paper.

What Lily had previously taken as a deep fold in the leather, the seam of the hat opened and the sorting hat burst into song.

_Now I am old,_

_And you are new,_

_But it is my job to sort those few,_

_Who fit into the houses' mesh._

_As for the rest,_

_I'll do my best._

_Now there are four houses of which I speak,_

_The first is Slytherin,_

_For the proud and slick,_

_For they are cunning and their blood runs thick._

_As for Ravenclaw,_

_You'll need your wit,_

_As well as your brain which are rather quick._

_Gryffindor is for the bold and daring,_

_And their hearts are forever caring._

_Hufflepuff is the jack of all trades,_

_Not proud, or quick, or only brave._

_Their hearts instead are full of kindness,_

_Not ever tarnished by the taint of snideness._

_One of those you will become,_

_But I have one last warning before the song is done._

_Though it is my duty to divide you,_

_It is my goal to eventually unite you._

_The castle will stand,_

_If the four columns join,_

_But without all four,_

_The castle will fall._

_To save or raze,_

_It is your choice,_

_I have warned, I have told,_

_Now let the castle rejoice!_

There was an enthusiastic round of applause, somewhat muted by the whispering that filled the Great Hall. Lily clapped with the rest, but also frowned, thinking about the sorting hat's final warning.

'Does the hat always give warnings?' asked Remus, a worry line appearing on his forehead.

'That would be the first,' said Sir Nick, his face scrunched together in thought.

Lizzie opened her mouth, her brows also furrowed, but Nick shushed her, gesturing to the front of the Hall.

'The sorting has started.'

'Andreanda, Fabian,' said Professor McGonagall in a ringing voice.

A stocky boy with golden hair scrambled up to the stool at the front of the hall, sitting down hurriedly and almost falling off the stool. Professor McGonagall placed the hat on the boy's head, pushing it down firmly until it covered the boy's eyes. Lily wondered idly whether this was intentional.

The Great Hall held its breath, waiting for the Sorting Hat's decision.

'HUFFLEPUFF!'

The Hufflepuff table burst into applause, while Lily and her friends clapped politely.

'Roden, Holland!'

'RAVENCLAW!'

'Bennett, Bonnie!'

'RAVENCLAW!'

The Ravenclaw table cheered for a second time.

'Berkley, Joe!'

'SYLTHERIN!'

Lily shuddered, wondering whether the small dark haired boy knew that almost every evil witch or wizard in history had come from his new house. Then she wondered if he would turn out darkly too.

Sirius booed loudly with a few others, and Holly slapped his arm.

'Berryman, Emilie!'

'GRYFFINDOR!'

Lily's whole table waved their scarves around and whooped loudly.

'That's enough,' said McGonagall sternly. 'Curry, Elise!'

Lily didn't listen to where Elise Curry was sorted, and instead turned her attention to the small first year chewing her lip, glancing at the table nervously.

'Hullo! Emilie, is it?' Lily asked kindly.

The small girl nodded, twisting her fluffy dark hair around her finger just like Lily did when she was nervous. Lily smiled to herself.

'Come sit with us,' offered Lily, digging her toe into James' foot.

James got the hint and moved over to make room on the rough wooden bench. In turn the rest of the group shuffled up to give everyone ample amount of space. Emilie sat down next to Lily, and Lily had to resist the urge to rest her elbow on Emilie's head.

Lily opened her mouth to speak, but the Great Hall had suddenly fallen silent. The Sorting had finished. Dumbledore was standing up in his chair, his flowing white beard glistened in the light of the candles. His eyes peered kindly from under his half-moon spectacles at the student body.

"Get on with it," muttered Sirius. "I'm hungry."

"Shush," Lizzie scolded. "I'm sure what Dumbledore has to say will be important."

"And exactly the same as what he said last year," replied Sirius.

Even Remus cracked a smile.

"To our new students, welcome! To our old students, welcome back!" began Dumbledore, spreading his arms invitingly. "It is the start of a new wonderful year, and I hope that I am not ruining the beginning of it with my speech." The students chuckled appreciatively. "You may have heard of the dangers that have sprung up recently, but I assure you that you will be safe from those dangers as long as you stay within these castle walls. In the matter of dangers, Mr Apollyon Pringle would like to add a couple more banned objects to the list: mouldable quills, poison putty, and biting butterbeer bottles. To the new students, and as a reminder to a couple of the older students," It was then that Dumbledore stared pointedly at the Marauders. "The Forbidden Forest is out of bounds. Now, I hate to delay our wonderful feast, so I just have a few last words for you all. Porpoise. Apricity. Squeak. Now let the feast begin!"

Everybody clapped enthusiastically, but Lily suspected it was just because everyone was hungry, and they were glad the food was coming. Lily turned to face the empty golden crockery and waited patiently. It was only a few moments before the shimmering plates were filled with food; turkey, potato, mutton, shepherd's pie, you name it. Emilie gazed in wonder at the newly appeared food, her big dark eyes wide in amazement.

Sirius began to pile food on to his plate, taking at least five whole potatoes for himself.

"Are you really going to eat all that?" asked Mary. "You'll explode!"

"Nah," said Sirius, waving an airy hand and swallowing a mouthful. "Anyway, I have taken it upon myself to do the introductions."

Sirius shifted slightly to face Emilie, a wide grin on his face. Holly put her head in her hands. "This is going to be fun."

"This strapping young lad to your right here, is name is James or Prongs, your choice. He is academically talented and romantically handicapped," began Sirius, slinging a lazy arm around James' shoulder.

"Prongs?" asked Emilie, frowning.

"Romantically handicapped? I'm romantic!" protested James at the same time.

Lily sighed. "The boys have made up stupid nicknames for each other. Don't bother with them. And yes James, Sirius is right."

James stared at her in mock betrayal, and Emilie laughed.

"And that one!" said Sirius, now pointing at Lily herself. "Is Lily Evans. She is very intelligent, so don't get on her bad side. She may also seem sweet and kind, but she is as fiery as the hair on her head."

They all laughed while Lily rolled her eyes and reached over James to whack Sirius gently on the shoulder.

"This one is Moony," said Sirius.

"Remus," corrected Lily.

"And he is a brainy know-it-all, who will act like he's your mother. He is no fun and completely tame, apart from his Furry Little Problem," said Sirius, ignoring Lily.

"I have a feeling that this introduction is really just Sirius telling everyone what he really thinks of them. Thanks for that, Padfoot," said Remus mildly.

Emilie giggled. Lily glanced at the other girls. They marauders still didn't know that the girls already knew that Remus was a werewolf. Lily still wasn't sure how to tell them.

"Wormy –" "_Peter,_" "- here is the most experienced worshipper there is. I am proud to call him a friend."

Peter didn't catch the sarcasm and virtually glowed with pride.

"Next up, Elizabeth Spendlove," announced Sirius.

Lizzie hissed at the use of her full name, and pointed her wand at Sirius, chanting "Petrificus totalus!"

Sirius' limbed snapped to his side where he froze and now the only thing moving was his accusatory eyes. Lizzie smiled smugly.

"Lizzie!" exclaimed Holly reproachfully.

"Is he alright?" asked a frightened looking Emilie.

"He's fine," assured Lily while Remus murmured the counter curse. "Lizzie just doesn't like people using her full name."

Sirius unfroze, and Remus clapped a hand over his mouth before he could swear. Sirius pulled his hand away and turned to face Lizzie.

"Next time, try a non-verbal spell," said Sirius superiorly.

Lizzie rolled her eyes, and everyone else sighed in relief because it hadn't turned into something more dramatic.

"Back to introductions!"

Everyone groaned.

"Alice Prewett, one of the most sincere people you will meet but still fairly accomplished in hexing people. She also likes to crush people's dreams for fun."

Alice scoffed. "Crushing dreams and disarming a prank are too very different things, Sirius. You could have hurt someone."

"Was this the one with doxy eggs?" asked James, seeming innocently curious.

"That would be the one," said Remus, smiling slightly.

"Ah, that one."

"Now for Holly Boyce. One of the most outstanding women I have ever met. She is immensely good looking, and seems to be interested in me."

Holly snorted. "I _am _not interested in you, Black. And please don't try to suck up to me. That would make you just another one of those moony eyed men in the corridor."

"I went from 'Sirius' to 'Black'? What'd I do?" asked Sirius.

Holly flicked her hair over her shoulder but said nothing. Lily couldn't help but laugh. If only Sirius knew.

"Well, to end off, I am Sirius Black, the most handsome and talented man on campus."

"And the most modest, too," mutter James, still miffed from his unsatisfactory description.

"And I'm Mary Spendlove, the one Sirius conveniently left out," grumbled Mary.

Emilie grinned and looked around the group, ticking off the names of each of them on her fingers as she matched the name to the face. "Thanks, I think I got it."

Alice smiled. "You're going to love it here. Welcome to Hogwarts!"

* * *

**A / N: **Please tell me your thoughts on the chapter!


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